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Cooper Flagg makes NBA history in rookie showdown vs. former Duke teammate Kon Knueppel

IMG_0985by: Griffin McVeigh01/30/26griffin_mcveigh

Two of the best rookies in the NBA went head-to-head on Thursday night in Dallas. Cooper Flagg‘s Mavericks hosted Kon Knueppel and the Charlotte Hornets. Both are fighting for the Rookie of the Year Award, with a big data point taking place due to the matchup. Adding to the storyline, they both spent last season in Durham with Duke.

The game has not gone final in the American Airlines Center quite yet. But it’s a safe assumption to give Flagg the upper hand in this one. He made NBA history after just 36 minutes. Of all the great teenagers to play over the last three decades, none of them have scored 40 points through three quarters. Until Flagg did.

“Cooper Flagg had 40 pts, 7 rebs and 2 asts through three quarters tonight against CHA,” Mavs PR said via X. “Flagg is the first teenager in the play-by-play era (since 1996-97) to score 40 points through three quarters.”

Maybe not the extent of scoring 40 points, but this is becoming a nightly occurrence for Flagg. The No. 1 overall pick walked onto the court averaging 18.8 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. This is now Flagg’s third game of surpassing at least the 30-point mark. Dec. 15 against the Utah Jazz is his career high, dropping 42 points. A few more minutes from head coach Jason Kidd should be enough for Flagg to set a new mark.

Flagg is going to end the night, obviously, shooting the ball incredibly well. His 40 points come on 16 makes from 23 shots from the field. Most from inside the arc too, making half of his four attempts from three-point land. Only six points are from the free throw line.

The funniest part is that Knueppel is having a fantastic night of his own. Again, only through three quarters thus far in Dallas. However, Knueppel boasts 28 points of his own on nine-of-14 shooting, making eight from deep. You can add four rebounds to the stat sheet as well.

Looking back, over a year later, it’s now easy to understand why Duke was one of the best teams in college basketball. Jon Scheyer lost his entire starting lineup to the NBA after making a run to the Final Four. Watching two of the best square off must be fun for Scheyer back home. But advantage Flagg on this one, making history along the way.